


Resuscitate

by misfiredamage



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, percy is very chipper about testing this out and its kind of creepy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 09:21:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10487469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misfiredamage/pseuds/misfiredamage
Summary: Wings aren't the only gift the Raven Queen gives to Vax.





	1. Rejuvinate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An explosion, followed by some informal scientific experimentation

It's after Vax takes on the mantle of the Raven Queen's champion that it starts happening, and the person who discovers it is, funnily enough, Percy.

Scanlan's mansion is rocked with an explosion one night, smoke pouring into the foyer from the workshop added for Percy to tinker in, and everyone's faces fall when they see the rubble. Pike is back in Whitestone...

“We should..." Keyleth swallows and blinks back tears. “We should dig him out, at least."

Everyone nods and moves to dig through the rubble, but stops short when it shifts. A hand, badly burned but rapidly healing, reaches up and finds purchase on some of the rubble, and everyone watches in awe as Percy hauls himself up, coughing in the smoke and dust.

“Good _lord_ , that was a disaster," he says as he surveys the wreckage, then looks down at himself and frowns. “Good thing I wasn't wearing my nice clothes..."

That's when everyone realizes the fire from the explosion burned most of his clothing away. They feel as though they should look away, give him some dignity, but they're mesmerized by the way his skin is quickly going from black and charred, to pink and shiny, to pale and (relatively) unblemished.

Percy jumps when he turns and sees them all standing there, blushing when he remembers the state of his clothes.

“ _Do_ you mind?" He snaps, and everyone has the decency to look sheepish.

“We thought... We thought you'd died," Keyleth says eventually, and Percy looks around at the rubble.

“Yes, it would seem that way, wouldn't it," he mutters. “I wonder why I _didn't_?" A look comes over him and his eyes light up. “I've a theory. Nobody go anywhere!"

Everyone stands around confused as he rushes off upstairs and returns several minutes later, wearing more clothing and carrying Bad News.

“Grog," he says, “I'm going to shoot you."

“Percival, are you _insane_? Did that explosion knock your senses out?" Vax asks while everyone stares at Percy with expressions of confusion and terror.

“Rather on the contrary, actually," Percy says brightly as he tamps gunpowder down in the barrel of his gun before dropping a bullet in after it. “I feel more sane than ever. And relax," he adds as he takes aim and pulls back on the hammer, “he's not going to die. ... Er, probably."

The gun fires with a mighty cracking bang that seems even louder inside, and the bullet streaks toward Grog's forehead, sinking through flesh and bone before continuing out the other side and embedding itself in the wall. The Goliath slumps to the ground, dead, and everyone stares at Percy in horror as he simply gets out his pocket watch and flips it open.

“Any minute now," he mutters, and the room is silent save for the tick of the second hand.

Grog groans and stands up, the hole in his head closing. “Wha' happened?"

“You died," Percy says, “and the Raven Queen sent you back. Or at least, that's my hypothesis."

“I don't care about your hippopotamus," Grog says once he gets his bearings. “Why'd you shoot me?"

“Good point," Percy says, pulling out Retort. “Could have _just_ as easily done it myself. Keep an eye on how long this takes, would you?"

Everyone shouts at him to stop as he presses the barrel of the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger, Keyleth shrieking when he falls in a heap on the ground with blood pooling under his head. Vex walks over as if in a daze and picks up his pocket watch, staring blankly as the second hand ticks by.

About thirty seconds pass before Percy jolts up into a sitting position, the bullet hole through his skull healing. “How long?"

“Thirty... Thirty seconds, give or take," Vex stammers, and Percy laughs.

“ _I_ _ncredible_!" He says with a grin. “I wonder if it takes longer for more grisly wounds? Grog, smash my head against the floor!"

“Okay!" Grog says, his grin mirroring Percy's.

“Actually, on second thought, hold on," Percy amends, holding up a hand to stop the Goliath. “I should be writing all of this down."

“Percy, are you really going to let Grog smash your head in for an experiment?" Scanlan asks, and Percy makes a motion that, paired with his expression, communicates something like 'obviously, why wouldn't I?'. The gunslinger disappears back upstairs for a few minutes, returning with a notebook and pen.

“Hypothesis!" He announces as he scribbles in the notebook. “Vax'ildan's newfound relationship with the Raven Queen has given him, and by extension, those he cares about, regenerative abilities, rendering them essentially... _Immortal_."

“Let's... Let's not use the I-word just yet, Percy?" Vax says hesitantly. Percy ignores him, and continues to write in his notebook.

“Method of testing: Inflicting fatal injuries on the members of Vox Machina," Percy says, and everyone starts to look scared again. “Results so far. One minute and thirty seconds to regenerate from being at the center of an explosive blast, thirty seconds to regenerate from a bullet to the head at point blank range, a full minute to regenerate from a bullet to the head at ten feet. Continuing experiments with what is colloquially referred to as a 'curb stomp'." He shuts the notebook in a decisive motion and hands it off to Keyleth along with his glasses, who takes them by habit. “Grog. If you would."

“Yes," Grog says. “I, Professor Grog, will help you with this experiment." He grabs Percy and throws him to the ground, cutting off the Human's reminder to not hold back by bringing his foot down  _hard_ against his skull. The bone shatters with a sickening, wet crunch and Percy's head caves in, blood and viscera spraying across the floor.

Vex, still holding Percy's pocketwatch, stares at the second hand as it ticks around once... Twice... Three times... Before Percy's skull and brain start to _regrow_ , the bone extending upwards and meeting in a curve to cover the now un-squashed mass of flesh, and Percy jerks upwards into a sitting position with a gasp.

“How long was that?" He asks as his popped left eye reinflates itself, for lack of a better term, and the skin on top of his head stitches itself back together.

“Three... Three minutes, a-and fifteen seconds," Vex stammers, staring. Percy pushes himself up with a rather triumphant laugh.

“Well, then," he says as he takes his notebook, pen, and glasses back from Keyleth and tries to ignore the fact that his blood is spread over the marble floor, “I think... This is rather conclusive proof that, unless our bodies are _entirely_ destroyed, we are, functionally, i-"

“Percy, please don't use the I-word," Vax begs.

“Why can't he use 'immortal'?" Keyleth asks, her brow furrowing quizzically.

Vax sighs. “I just... I just don't like it," he mutters. “It feels... Weird. In my stomach. Makes it all twisty, you know?"

Everyone but Grog, who crosses his arms and nods sagely, slowly shakes their heads.

“How about, for now," Percy offers, “I say we have a... Seemingly limitless regenerative ability?"

“Yeah," Vax sighs, relieved this time. “Yeah that works."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three things:  
> One - I'm reasonably certain I've actually made quite the mockery of the scientific method, but I tried, and that's what matters  
> Two - I referred to this as the ""The Raven Queen Made Us All Into Weird Deadpool/Wolverine Hybrids" AU" and I just think that should be known  
> Three - "I don't care about your hippopotamus" is seriously in the running for Greatest Sentence I've Ever Written
> 
> Also, stay tuned for another chapter in which I sink further into my denial of Tiberius's death!


	2. Enliven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, in Draconia...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I hear what you're asking. "Percy," you're saying, "did you come up with an elaborate AU just so you can cling to Tiberius being alive?"  
> To which I say  
> Maybe. Maybe not. You can't prove anything.

It's dark.

Dark.

Tiberius gasps and his eyes snap open to blinding light. His legs are dangling, he can tell, even if his eyes haven't adjusted to the light yet, and...

Oh god.

There's something piercing him though the stomach.

His eyes adjust and he takes a deep breath before looking down. A spike of ice juts from his abdomen, frozen blood, ripped scales, and torn intestines surrounding the wound. He looks down, and sees his staff shattered on the ground beneath him where it no doubt fell from his grip.

Growling, gritting his teeth, he gathers his strength and lifts his arms to sink his claws into the ice and drag himself forward. It's _agony_ , each movement opening the wound again, and he leaves a trail of wet crimson behind him as he slowly makes his way towards the tip of the spike.

His strength leaves him, his eyes fall shut, and everything goes dark again.

A few minutes later he wakes again with another gasp, and starts dragging himself forward again when his eyes adjust to the sunlight reflecting off the snow.

He makes it to the end of the spike this time, but this leaves him falling at least fifty feet to the ground. His head cracks against a snow-covered rock when he lands and the last thing he sees before darkness takes him once again is the snow being stained red.

When he awakens again, it's started to snow. The flakes drift down slowly and melt when they touch him, and he rolls onto his back with a groan to stare up at the sky. He can feel the hole in his stomach bleeding out, but it's... Stopping.

He looks down, and his flesh is knitting itself back together, ruined organs sliding back into place and regrowing, and the sight... Honestly, it makes him nauseous.

“What on earth is going on?" He mutters to himself once it's completely healed, sitting up and prodding at his now completely-healed stomach. Looking around, he sees other bodies and chokes up; a flash of silver scales stained with dried blood, another shattered staff next to a frost-covered bronze body, a red body broken on a spike. Choking back tears, he starts preparing a teleportation circle to bring him to his other family - the one in Emon.

The circle doesn't light up.

Fine, then. He'll go to Westruun and fly from there. He begins preparing another circle, the sigil for Westruun, and a distant roar makes him freeze in place.

The dragon.

He's hurrying now, tracing the shapes of the sigil hastily. He has his suspicions that he may be able to survive getting killed again, but he doesn't want to try his luck, and the sooner he doesn't have to look at these bodies anymore the better. The dragon roars again, closer this time, and his breath catches in his throat when the sound of leathery wings reach his ears. The sigil finishes and lights up right as the ground shakes as the dragon lands, and Tiberius leaps through the portal when it opens...

Appearing in the center of Westruun's town square in the middle of a celebration of some sort.

Everyone stares at the Dragonborn who's just appeared out of nowhere in frost-covered, ruined robes with tears in his eyes.

“Tiberius?"

He turns to see Percy standing in front of a tavern with Keyleth, the Human staring at him in disbelief.

“What are you... _How_?" Percy gasps, and Tiberius's tears spill over, streaming down his cheeks as he throws himself at Percy and sobs into his shoulder.

“They're dead," he sobs, “my family..."

Percy's arms wrap around him and he hears an unfamiliar voice talking to Keyleth, but he can't be bothered to care about that. He lifts his head and kisses Percy, holding him as close as he can, scared he'll slip away too no matter how much he knows that won't, _can't_ happen here, and Percy kisses him back and wipes away his tears with his thumbs.

“I don't know how I survived," Tiberius whispers when they break apart, “but... Oh, god, Percy, it was horrible, I..."

“I know," Percy murmurs comfortingly, kissing his cheek. “And... I might know how you survived." His hand drifts over the scales revealed by the hole torn in the Dragonborn's robes and he smiles at him. “Vax cares about you."


End file.
